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Saturday, September 14, 2013

Alex Kennedy Interview

Really looking forward to this article.

Also, we will not put up with anymore nonsense on this site. This is a family site and if you cannot respect others with your language and attitude, we will delete your posts and you may be banned permanently.

isabeli - to answer your question from previous thread, my motive was just to point out that the promise made by that single individual was never meant to be kept as he made the same promise before to forum members and negged on it over and over and over again.

@Etane - I agree with JK. Most of us get what you're trying to convey,but multiple posts seems like you're waiting for some to jump in, gang up and say,"OM, you're right! Mod, ban KHuang NOW & FOREVER!"

JLinFan#1, perhaps it would also be good to list the policy permanently on the website so everyone can check which the type of nonsense will not be tolerated. Also, what type of offense will qualify members to be banned.

If Lin is smart, he need not dwell on whether he was supposed to "save Houston basketball." That's not his role anymore and no need for sour grapes. Perfect and continue to scan the floor, absorb everything that's going around him, quickly process info to make optimal decisions, direct traffic in the team's offense, call out ball screen on defense, and put his teammates in the right spots on both ends of the floor. That's the type of awareness and leadership he needs to focus on and not about saving the day.

It is a lot harder to do those things without full 100% support from both own coaches and teammates, basketball isn't played alone. But I do understand it is way easier to do the big talk here telling Lin what to do and all that.

OK maybe I should change my wording and say Lin should make a conscious effort to not be marginalized and underutilized like he was last year nor allow himself to be molded into a 1 dimensional gunner type player when he's capable of so much more.

"It is a lot harder to do those things without full 100% support from both own coaches and teammates, basketball isn't played alone. But I do understand it is way easier to do the big talk here telling Lin what to do and all that."

Ditto. How can he be a leader when he is getting constantly yelled at by the coaching staff? I mean e gets benched repeatedly in the fourth quarter

This will be harden and Dwight's team because it's being built around them. Lin is just a role player.

.. direct traffic in the team's offense, call out ball screen on defense, and put his teammates in the right spots on both ends of the floor.

I actually agree with this recipe of success for Lin in Houston. But last year, Harden was the one being trusted to be the main playmaker. Lin couldn't direct the offense effectively because Harden was given the first option to score and playmake.

Honestly, Lin's playmaking strength requires big man inside and shooters around him. Dwight is the perfect man inside. If Lin can feed Dwight, Harden and Parsons well, Houston will advance deep in the playoff this season. I agree Lin doesn't need to score much but he still needs to be a threat to score.

The big question is if Harden is willing to step back a bit as the main playmaker so Lin can utilize his strength optimally? Harden is a lethal scorer and doesn't need the ball that much to score big. We will see.

Jeremy's window of opportunity to step it up is short. Already Morey wasn't able to unload him because of how badly his stock has dropped since Linsanity thanks to Houston putting Lin in the position to fail last year.

It would be sad that ONLY hard core fans will remember who Jeremy is. Khuang, you make Jeremy sound like a bad B movie with cult following with your false positivity.

I bet u more than half the people here who purports to swear allegiance to Lin will be gone if he has another disappointing year and ends up being a bench player whether its his fault or not.

The only ones left will be khuang and the likes who will just proclaim that it's the refs and the score keepers that destroyed Lin's career and the die hard Christians who view Lin as this flawless religious entity whose image should not be desecrated in any way.

The average lifespan of an NBA player is three years. Lin will be given a longer chance because he brings in the Asian fan base - but Lin will not have a long NBA career if his goal is not to be the best basketball player. At this point. I think he only cares about being a good Christian regardless of how his basketball career turns out (made a lot of money) - and I fear that ultimately that will be his downfall and a Great god given opportunity just wasted...

Even if he maintains his averages, and helps bring the Rockets deep in the playoffs, I'd consider that a success...

I'd definitely think he has staying power given he'd be the starting point guard of a top 4 team in the NBA. At that point, it'd be pretty damn risky to trade him away given their success and trajectory.

I don't agree with the assertion that only an "idiot" would make the assertion that Lin isn't still developing.

Last season was Lin's first full season as a rotation regular, let alone starter. Most of the teams he faced last season were teams he had never seen. He also got acclimated to the grind and rigor of playing extended minutes, which shocks many players who are first time regulars in the NBA.

So I think Lin has plenty of potential left to improve as an NBA player. While I do feel that the bulk of his individual skill set is indeed set (Atomic's assertion, and I agree with that), the trick for Lin will be discovering how his skills can mesh better within the team concept Houston has for him.

Bevery is not younger than Lin. Why are you here, Atomic? Did you know that this is for people that actually believe Lin can be a high caliber player one day? FYI, Clutch Fans is the place for you. Also, are you calling a year as a starter, past his prime? Did you check stats for Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Tony Parer their first years as starters? Lin had a fine year, all consideering. Ok, so he got injured during play offs and was coming back from an injury first half, AND was sabotaged by coaching staff, STILL he put up fine numbers. Can you get off his case?

PatBev started his professional bball career way back in 2008. Comparing his CV to Lin's, there is only a resemblance in that both were cut by NBA teams. But one thing stick out glaringly is that he was caught cheating on his classwork during Sophomore year at Arkansas. Hopefully, he's a better man after a hard lesson learned: Patrick Beverley owns up!

pBev is an anomaly. why he gets play time at all in houston is just weird. he's the worst guard on the houston team. James Anderson and Aaron Brooks both can outplay pBev on both ends of the court not to mention Lin.

pBev's stock is so low that he can be nothing BUT a young developing PG. Him getting the minutes he did last year was just wack. Maybe first impression counts. He was able to impress McHell with his knee hunting defense and 1.000 3pt shooting that lasted for all of 2 games.

Lin has faced all the premiere point guards in the league and he has held his own in many situations. He's been scouted much much more than Beverly.What didn't kill Jeremy has made him formidable.

Beverly has not been close to Lin's level of playing. They're not even close. At least 6 millions away. The Linhaters just make things up about how good Beverly is. He's a no brainer while Lin is the floor general.

The crutch fans and Linhaters keep on bring back the issue to replace Lin with Beverly. It's insane.

Good morning to all! Sorry to be out of topic again but i think my post was completely overshadowed by an ongoing issue in this site.. To anyone interested to hand out fliers and stickers to promote linsanity the movie, please email me at stephalonzo@ rocketmail. Com and give me your name and address and i will mail the stuff immediately.. To the first one who responded, thank you in behalf of linsanity street team... i hope at least 2 more will volunteer... i'm praying

Hey jlin74ever, excellent efforts on your part to promote the film. Not sure how effective it is to hand the fliers and stickers out the way you suggest? Why not try approach the churches, NGO, NPO, of which the members you know to to screen the film?I am lobbying for a screening session within my community and hopefully I get the green light by end of this month.

Hi moon light. Thanks for your suggestion but the way things turned out to be, it doesn't sound doable for me at this time. I give credit to you for the efforts you put in to help promote. I will just do the little help i can offer and just hope it does help the outcome. I appreciate your concern. Goodluck on your screening and share with us how it turned out if it pushed through.

Sorry mt, at this juncture, i can't divulge the identity of the community until i have the blessings from the members to organise the screening. Yeah if everything goes smoothly, we will do it at a local theater, god willing.

Not sure why but i posted the right one... stephalonzo@rocketmail.com.. If there would still be an issue, pls let me know.. Thanks again for your interest.. i'll send you a pin just let me know which one u want.. NY and Houston pins already taken.. sorry..

ah, finally a post where there is no trolling, arguing or w.e thank you JLinfan#1!!!!!Also, who is this Alex Kennedy dude? is he like anti or pro lin? because everyone seems to be looking forward while i just think it's another article.....

has anyone seen this yet? KD, JLin and LBJ are on the League Pass.JEREMY LIN is on it, interesting for someone who is considered not an All-Star,above average, overpaid, overrated, not a Star, blah blah blah to be on the League Pass,it could've been Kobe, probs because he's injured so i think KD might be changed for when he'sback, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Harden, Rose, or whoever but hey it's Jeremy.I think that's saying something but then again I despise that all they see Jeremy is justa cash cow to the Asia market. But I'm guessing how the NBA and "world" views Lin has forced the Rockets to add him to their billboards and promotion stuff? But seriously it is quite interesting.......

I live in Asia. imho, Jeremy is NOT a fat cash cow to the Asian market. Kobe is, and still is. LeBron is slowly itching his way to become one. In the Phils, the preseason game is generating added interest because D12 joined the Rockets.

it's a fair bet to say that league pass revenue's saw a huge spike during linsanity.

given it's a subscription based model, i bet that the revenue has stayed above the previous baseline -- keeping lin in the marketing helps ensure they get the reoccuring revneue from those who signed up during that period.

Jeremy Lin is the most popular non-Black player in the NBA. For some reason, it just wouldn't feel right to have 3 Black players featured on the league pass promo. If Steve Nash or Dirk were still in his prime, I'm sure he would be there instead.

Author mentions Harden is all-star more than just a few times in that article. True, Harden played in the AS game last year. But, he wasn't voted in, right? Isn't there something inherently wrong by saying Harden is an AS when he wasn't even voted in? By saying someone is an AS, it implies that people/fans recognize him to be the best or one of the very best in his position. And, by the fact that he wasn't voted in means that's simply not true. Anyways, realize I am splitting hairs. Let's see if fans vote him in this year even after Houston's effort to manufacture Harden into a star for a year plus.

He did also mention that 25.9 points per game ranked 5th in the NBA behind only Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. We know the NBA is a scorer's league so that's matters to a lot of people.

I just checked their shooting efficiency (TS%) and Harden's 60% actually ranked 3rd below Durant (64.7%) and LeBron (64%) but better than Kobe(57%) and Melo (56%). So Harden is definitely a lethal scorer but I believe it could have been a lot better (66% in his last year in OKC) had Lin do most of the playmaking so he saved his legs.

Houston's chance to be a contender depends on whether coaches and players can find a way to optimize The Big 4's strength: Howard (defense+rebounding+scoring), Harden (scoring+playmaking), Lin (playmaking+scoring) and Parsons (scoring). Plus utilizing Asik properly (defense/rebounding).

I truly hope Harden buys into this big plan and step back a bit as a playmaker to increase his TS% and health.

There isn't something wrong with the author saying Harden is an All-star, even if he did not get voted in. He is without a doubt one of the top shooting guards in the league. He is an all-star caliber player, which is what Alex is saying.

Just because you don't get voted in doesn't mean your not one of the top players. The all star voting is a popularity contest not who is the best player. For christs sakes Yi Jianlian nearly got voted in one year and he isn't a good player.

Harden SHOULD get voted in based on skill alone and there is a good chance he will be in the all star game this year. His only real major flaw is defense.

I agree with what Psalm24 says about utilizing each player to the best of their abilities.

In another recent article, Alex answered a question sharing his thoughts that as a talented young player with high BB IQ, it's clear that Lin is a developing player and his best basketball is ahead of him.

It's ironic and laughable that some people think that Lin has stopped developing after 1 full season in the NBA. Crazy logic indeed. The same people won't like Alex Kennedy's upcoming article.

SlammajammaHey Alex how’s things. Q: Am I the only one that thinks that the pendulum has swung back from JLin to being overrated during Linsanity, to being kinda underrated at this point? Obviously he has some struggles with being consistent that he must correct, and needs to turn the ball over less, but this is a really clever young player, and in my estimation one of the better young playmaking PGs in the league. Watch his youtube highlights by ‘NBA Clutch Time’ (best highlights on YT), I think there are few young PGs with a better passing package than his. Cheers!

Alex KennedyYou could certainly make that argument. In the past year, most people have jumped off of the Jeremy Lin bandwagon and labeled him overrated to the point that he’s probably being undervalued again. As you said, he’s still a talented young player with a very high basketball IQ. Also, he’s only 24 years old so it’s clear that he’s still developing and that his best basketball is ahead of him. I understand the thinking that Houston needs a veteran point guard who is ready to win now, but I do think Lin is better than people are giving him credit for. I’m curious to see what he can do this upcoming season. Playing alongside Dwight Howard should be good for him.

khuang - atomic never said lin should go back to D league. why do you try to make it sound like atomic is advocating for lin to go back to D league? Is it because you're defending your employers' low usage of lin and don't want lin to step it up this year?

liv-I interpret atomic's first post above to mean lin should no longer be in apprenticeship mode but in professional mode. his wording is... not that great.

and, this doesn't mean lin's development stops. it simply means lin needs to step it up as floor general, play his game and not be content with the same low usage role he was in last year with mchell saying lin will be fine because he's "young".

@etane "he can dominate right now. "development" is just an excuse given to lin to not dominate now and let others take the lead away from him. "he's young, he will get over it"."

i get what you are getting at. they try to limit jlin and their excuse is that he is still young/developing, thus cannot give him so much responsibility. i do feel that he can dominate now if trusted to do so. 'development' shouldn't be an excuse to hold him back.

i say development not to signal that jlin should take a back seat because he's still raw, but to focus on the fact that he has a lot more to show us. we haven't seen his full potential yet.

Atomic, you seemed to have a predetermined mindset that Lin is over-hyped that made you think the undrafted Lin has peaked after 3 seasons and only 1 full season.

By the same token, 2010 #1 draft pick John Wall and 2009 #5 draft pick Ricki Rubio have stopped developing. Perhaps they should go to D-League too?How about Steve Nash in his 3rd year of the NBA averaging merely 7.9 pts/5.5 asts? Perhaps he should have been developing in the D-League, too?

It's kinda sad to dislike a player because of the color of his skin and used a flawed logic to justify the hatred. Look, Lin might end up to be an average PG or an All-Star. Noone really knows. Let the young player develop and find out his true potential.

I'd like to use this opportunity to clarify that my deep hatred towards Morey and McHale got nothing to do with the color of their respective skin. All simply because they are assholes.

Just wanna clear that up before some people like FanForLife twist my words and accusing me hating blacks which is completely not true since some of the people I admired and looked up the most in life(besides Jeremy) such as Neil Degreass Tyson and Nelson Mandela are blacks.

AtomicSeptember 13, 2013 at 11:22 AMIn your world, Lin is the shining star perched above. In reality, he is just one of many talents in the NBA. Lin can play so can many other PGs. The only thing special about Lin is he's Asian. There is nothing to capitalize on other than to placate to the Asian community. The NBA is not going to drop off from the face of the earth without them.

I think Lin is being given an extra chance compared to the other players of different race in the NBA because he is Asian and brings in a huge Asian fanbase. NBA is a business after all.

By the way things have turned out, it is now clear to me that no NBA gm believes in Lin to be more than a role player and that linsanity was a huge aberration and nothing more than a feel good story (that the Hollywood is now trying to capitalize on with a premature movie before his star- power is diminished with time). If he didn't have the star power, no way he lasts as long. So he may end up with longer than average career.

At the sane timr, It is a double edged sword because like some said, it is because he's Asian that he doesn't get the respect he would've gotten if he had a different skin color.

What it comes down to will be whether Lin truly believes in himself. In stead of trying hard to distance from linsanity, he needs to believe that it's what he can achieve under the right circumstances. At this point, btw he talks, it looks like he has resigned to the fact that it is something that will never happen again.

Sir, I admire your basketball knowledge on Lin's role in Houston as I posted above, but not so much of your way of enlightenment to acquire wisdom. I'd have to pass if it requires judging by skin color.

Whether players are White, Yellow, Black or Green, I believe all have to potential to be special. Sorry, we just have to disagree on this issue.

Wow Atomic, I'm impressed by how much time and effort to think you spend on a player's site whom you're not much fond of.From your posts, you sound like this kind of fan: Jeremy, play well next season, impress me next season, or you're nothing but a blob of yellow skin who plays in the NBA.

Given the amount of things naysayers point out about Lin, it seems obvious that he has areas to improve his game. GIven his work ethic, ability to have playing time (at least for the next season), I believe he's still got significant upside to his game.

And remember folks.. Winning cures a lot of issues. Even if JLin has a another year like this one, but the Rockets win 50 or go deep in the playoffs, he's relive the stress on him considerably..

Whereas, if he gets incrementally better.. and this year is a flop.. You know the media and Lin non-fans will be screaming for his throat.

I think it's obvious that Morey is the toast of the NBA right now -- D12 + Harden + Lin in a year? Lottery fodder to 45+ wins and a playoff birth?

For McHale.. It's hard to knock him right now, given the team exceeded all expectations in terms of W/L last year. He's got a lot more expectations on him this year, so that might change. If the Rockets make a first round exit, he'll be under some heat..

Off the court, my personal opinion is that D12 + Lin will get along, they seem like they have the same goofy, kid like vibe.

On the court, I hope their connection will continue. As we all know, D12 is a beast.. Agreed he's and Lin can be unstoppable if they both buy in.

My bet is that Lins assists will go up. Just looking at the amount of bobbling Asik did last year makes me smh. I think we got a preview of what the tandem can be when he was playing with Greg Smith.

Also, given the team has more experience together, and the players are young and had another season to develop.. It's not unreasonable to think the team will be more efficient.. Which means more assists for the sometimes ball handler.. Jeremy Lin! :D

My hope that McHale won't bench Jeremy whenever he starts to get into a rythm, scoring and passing. We saw a lot of that last season when, just when Lin and the team were getting some momentum going, the coach would bench him for Tony Douglas or Beverley, especially in the 4th quarter with the game on the line.

Agreed. If he improves his defense and 3 pointer, there's not really a case to bench him as much, since he'll be more complementary when Harden is dominating more of the ball (espeically in the 4th quarter).